New York, NY, August 27, 2014 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today welcomed a quick response and removal of an offensive new product sold by the Spanish clothing chain Zara. The item, a black and white striped shirt with a yellow Star of David, was offered in several of its international online stores.

ADL said the use of the yellow star is a design that is clearly reminiscent of the stars that Jews were forced to wear in the ghettos of Europe during World War II.

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director and a Holocaust survivor, issued the following statement:

The shirt emblazoned with the yellow star is in poor taste and is deeply offensive to Jews and Holocaust survivors. To anyone who knows their history, this kind of imagery should be off-limits. We welcome Zara’s recognition of the shirt’s offensive imagery and removal from sale.

This is not the first time we have seen a retail clothing company making this same offensive mistake. The fact that this keeps happening shows that there is a serious need for education about the Holocaust and the history of anti-Semitism.

In April 2012, a Danish company removed a t-shirt bearing a logo similar to a Jewish Star of David after concerns were raised by ADL.

A recent ADL poll in 100 countries found that only 54 percent of the world’s population has heard of the Holocaust. Of that number, four percent believe the Holocaust was a “myth” and did not happen, and 28 percent believe the Holocaust happened but that “the number of Jews who died has been greatly exaggerated by history.”

ADL is the world’s leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education, and fighting hate online, ADL is the first call when acts of anti-Semitism occur. ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate.